Control unit for electrical game devices



Aprfifi 28, 1936. F. s. RILEY El AL 'CONTROL UNIT FOR ELECTRICAL GAME DEVICES Filed April 29, 1935 1N VEN TORS.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL UNIT FOR ELECTRICAL GAME DEVICES said Riley Application April 29, 1935, Serial No. 18,831

7 Claims.

This invention relates to control units for electrical game devices such as shown and described in application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 17,007, filed April 18, 1935, and the primary object of this invention is to provide such a unit for games of the character disclosed in said application that have means embodied therein for positively precluding electrical contact between the punch of the game mechanism and one or more of the sheets of conducting material which are included in the unit.

Heretofore it has been found desirable to employ a relationship between punch and certain sheets of the control unit which would preclude if) certain electrical connections but after the unit has been in use for a period of time it usually warps or is distorted to some extent and the precise tolerance which has been allowed is overcome tosuch a point that certain circuits in the 20 game device are closed= when the same should be left entirely open so far as the intention of the owner of the game device is concerned.

t is therefore, an important aim of this invention to include in the control unit a sheet of non- 2 conducting material which separates at least two of the sheets of conducting material and which is perforated to allow the punch of the game device to pass through one or more of the sheets of conducting material all under the direct control 30 of the producer of the unit.

Other important objects of this invention will appear during the'course of the specification referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a control unit for 3 electrical game devices having the laminations thereof progressively broken away so as to reveal in full lines certain portions of the successive sheets of material therein.

Fig. 2 is a condensed vertical cross section through the unit taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed cross section through a portion of the control unit showing the punch in position and held against movement through a second sheet of conducting material by the sheet of non-conducting material which forms the important feature of this invention, and;

Fig. 4 is a similar section to that illustrated in Fig. 3 but with the punch extending through an opening provided in the sheet of non-conducting material so that the punch may pierce both sheets of conducting material.

The positioning of this unit in a game device has been made clear in the above identified specification and while the sheets of conducting material forming a part of the unit may be included in an electrical circuit in any suitable manner,

it may be desirable to include the said sheets in the said circuit through the employment of many various elements and therefore, the precise manner of interposing the sheets of conducting ma 5. terial in an electrical circuit is not herein set forth.

Referring to the unit per se the same comprises a laminated body made up of a large number of superimposed sheets, the uppermost one being a 1i sheet of paper 6 which merely serves as a covering for the uppermost sheet of metal foil 8 which is one of the sheets of conducting material included in the laminated body. The next succeeding layer of material is in the form of a relatively thick filler board III which has a plurality of checkrowed perforations l2 formed therethrough. Below this member ill is disposed the sheet M of relatively non-yielding, non-conducting material which serves as a stop for punch l6 under certain conditions. Perforations I8 are provided in sheet M and these perforations are each respectively in continuation of a perforation I2 formed in sheet IIJ. Below this stop sheet I4 is positioned a continuous sheet of metal foil 20 that is of electrical conducting material and which, like sheet 8, is interposed in the electrical circuit of the game device. Beneath this sheet 20 a filler board 22 is positioned and as a final lamination a cover paper 24 is provided to over-lie the lower face of filler board 22.

Filler board 22 has a number of perforations 26 that are not only in alignment with perforations I8 in sheet I4 but also are in axial alignment with perforations 12 in filler board It; thus, as shown in Fig. 4, when punch I6 is inserted into a perforation l2 which over-lies a perforation l8 and 26, the said punch will be allowed to pass through both of the conducting material sheets 8 and 26 so as to close the circuit or circuits as the case might be by setting up an electrical contact between itself and the two metallic conducting sheets 8 and 20. If punch 16 is passed into a perforation l2 that does not over-lie a perforation I8 and a perforation 26, sheet M will serve as a definite stop for the end of punch l6 and the sheet of conducting material 20 will not be contacted by punch l6.

Both sheets of conducting material 8 and 2B are formed of relatively thin material which is pierceable by the punch and sheet I4 is a relatively non-yielding sheet that cannot be pierced by punch l6 during the normal operation of the game with which the unit is employed and when normal pressure is exerted there-against by punch l6. 7

It is further notable that filler boards [0 and 22 are of fibrous material and do not conduct electrical energy. When the unit is assembled, the various perforations l2, l8, .and 26, as the case may be, are confined within the laminated unit and create cavities into which may be projected the end of punch I6.

The employment of such a relatively non-yielding, non-conducting sheet M in the control unit for electrical game devices overcomes a tremendous amount of difiiculty which is met if the sheet is not used, and even though thefunit may warp while in position, the .warping will not affect the manner in which punch I6 will close the circuit wherein is positioned the sheet or sheets 8 and 20. While punch l6 heretofore has been made a particular length and its distance of travel into the cavities or perforations has necessarily been confined to a given amount, it is obvious that with a unit constructed-in accordance with this invention that its length may not be a bothersome factor in constructing these units.

It is understood that the upper and lower sheets 6 and 24 need not be employed but in order to complete the unit and render the same commercially practical and attractive, these sheets of paper are made apart of the complete unit.

The broad concepts of this invention might be carried out if the heavy fibrous sheet I4 is employed without the afore-mentioned perforations being formed therein. In such instance, the forceof the punch will pierce this sheet I4 and force the jagged torn out portion thereof down into cavity 26 which underlies certain of the perforations l2 in filler board l0. After this operation the edges of the metal foil around the opening formed by the punch passing through sheet 20 will be disposed in cavity 26 and will not of their own inherent quality return to a place where a reentrance of the punch into the same perforation l2 will establish contact between the punch and sheet 20.

Obviously one of the reasons for providing perforations 26 in'filler board 22 is to allow the punch to force its way through sheets l4 and 20.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:.

l. A control unit for electrical game devices having a source of electrical energy, a punch, and an electrical circuit including the punch, comprising a laminated body having a plurality of superimposed sheets and a plurality ofcavities provided within the body, certain of said sheets being composed of conducting material pierceable by said punch and forming a part ofthe electrical circuit when the said punch is projected into the cavities within the body and through one or more of said sheets of conducting material to close the circuit.

2. A control unit for electrical game devices having a source of electrical energy, a punch, and an electrical circuit,'comprising a laminated body having a plurality of superimposed sheets and a plurality of cavities provided within the body, two of said sheets being composed of conducting material pierceable by said punch and forming a part of the electrical circuit when the punch is projected into the cavities and through the said sheets of conducting material.

3. A control unit for electrical game devices having a source of electrical energy, a punch, and an electrical circuit, comprising a laminated body having a plurality of superimposed sheets and a plurality of cavities provided within the body, two of said sheets being composed of conducting material pierceable by said punch and forming a part of the electrical circuit when the punch is forced therethrough and into the said cavities, one of said sheets being composed of relatively non-yielding, non-conducting material and disposed between said sheets of conducting material to serve as a stop for the said punch after the same has been passed through certain of said cavities.

4. A control unit for electrical game devices comprising, a continuous sheet of pierceable conducting material; another sheet of similar material spaced from the said first mentioned sheet; and a filler of non-conducting material .between said sheets of conducting material having cavities formed therein, certain of said cavities extending entirely through said filler.

5. A control unit for electrical game devices comprising, a continuous sheet of pierceable conducting material; another sheet of similar material spaced from the said first mentioned sheet; and a filler of non-conducting material between said sheets of conducting material having cavities formed therein, certain of said cavities extending entirely through said filler, other of said cavities extending inwardly from one side only of said filler.

6. A control unit for electrical game devices comprising a sheet of pierceable conducting material; another sheet of similar material spaced from said first mentioned sheet and in parallel relation thereto; a perforated layer of non-conducting material underlying said first mentioned sheet of conducting material between the said two sheets of conducting material; and a sheet of perforated, non-conducting material over lying said second sheet of conducting material against the said layer of perforated material, the perforations of the said sheet of non-conducting material being fewer in number than the perforations in the layer of non-conducting material and each being in register respectively with a perforation in the said perforated layer.

7. A control unit for electrical game devices comprising two continuous sheets of pierceable conducting material disposed in parallel, spacedapart relation; and a first and second sheet of non-conducting material positioned between the said sheets of conducting material, said first sheet of non-conducting material having a number of perforations provided therein, and said second sheet of non-conducting material having a fewer number of perforations provided therein, each of the perforations in the said second sheet being in register with a perforation respectively of the said first sheet of non-conducting material.

FRANKLIN S. RILEY. ARTHUR T. HAMILTON. 

